Pele, Brazil's legendary footballer passed away at the age of 82 on Thursday. The three-time World Cup winner had been hospitalized for over a month with multiple ailments. His agent Joe Fraga confirmed his death.
Santos, the club where Pele played in Brazil, said in a statement the public will be able to pay their final respects at Vila Belmiro Stadium, outside Sao Paulo. Santos said the coffin will leave Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo early Monday morning and will be placed in the center circle of the field.
Pelé's casket will be carried through the streets of Santos and will pass in front of the home of his 100-year-old mother, Celeste. The burial will take place at the Memorial Necrópole Ecumênica, a vertical cemetery in Santos.
Pele had undergone treatment for colon cancer since 2021. Widely regarded as one of soccer's greatest players, he spent nearly two decades enchanting fans and dazzling opponents as the game's most prolific scorer with Brazilian club Santos and the Brazil national team.
Born on the 23rd of October 1940, Edson Arantes do Nascimento known as Pele carried Brazil to soccer's heights and became a global ambassador for his sport in a journey that began on the streets of Sao Paulo state, where he would kick a sock stuffed with newspapers or rags. He learned football from his father, a semi-professional player whose career was derailed by a knee injury.
Pelé's talent drew attention when he was just 11, and a local professional player brought him to Santos' youth squads. He soon made it to the senior squad. He made his debut with the Brazilian club at the age of 16 in 1956, and the club quickly gained worldwide recognition.
The name Pele came from him mispronouncing the name of a player called Bile.
In the 1958 World Cup, Pele was named as a reserve but became a key player for his country's championship team. His first goal, in which he flicked the ball over the head of a defender and raced around him to volley it home, was voted as one of the best in the history of the World Cup.
In his career, Pele played 114 matches with Brazil, scoring a record 95 goals, including 77 in official matches.
Pele had two daughters out of wedlock and five children from his first two marriages, to Rosemeri dos Reis Cholbi and Assiria Seixas Lemos. He later married businesswoman Marcia Cibele Aoki.
(Inputs from PTI)
